Submarine mine.



G. E. ELIA.l suBMAmNE MINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 6.1917. 1,299,440. Patented Apr. 8,1919.

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G. E. ELIA.'

SUBMAHNE MINE. APPLICATION FILED sEPT.e.1su.

Patcned Apr. 8,'1919,

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GIOVANNI EMANUELE ELIA, OF WESTMINSTER, LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR T0 VICKERS LIMITED, 0F WESTMINSTER, ENGLAND.

SUBMARINE MINE.

Speccation of Letters Patent. y

Patented Apr. 8, 1919.

Application led September 6, 1917. Serial No. 190,095.

To all whom zz may concern.'

Y Be it known that 1, GIOVANNI EMANUELE ELIA, a subject of the King of Italy, residing at Westminster, in the county of London, England, Kingdom of Great Britain, have Vinvented certain new and useful 1mprovements in or Relating to Submarine Mines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and eXact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to submarine mines of the kind comprising an anchor connected to the flotation chamber or mine proper by a mooring cable the paying out of which is effected by the separation of the flotation chamber from the anchor after the mine has been launched.

In the specification of my prior pending patent application No. 17 8,367 iiled July 3, 1917, I have described a construction of submarine mine in which a hydrostatic device is employed to release a slidable weight located at any desired point on the mooring cable so that the weight will fall and actuate a suitable device for stoppingthe unwindingorpaying out of the cable from the anchor when the flotation chamber, owing to its buoyancy, has ascended far enough to occupyl the required final depth of immersion.

According to this invention there is employed-a buoy or float, inlieuoii a hydrostatic device, which is connected to the weight by means of a cord or cable andas adapted to control the release of the weight at the proper moment so that the weight descends and actuates the device for stopping the unwinding or paying out of the mooring cable from the anchor. The length of the cord or cable connected to the weight is selected according to the `final depth of immersion desired for the flotation chamber, and the upward pull of the buoy or float, prior to its reaching the surface of. the water, retains the said weight in position against a stop on the mooring cable. The said cordv or cable for the buoy is attached to a spring controlled or other coupling de- Vvice which is so constructed that when the buoy (which may be released from the 4anchor in any suitable manner at any de- `B is the anchor and C is the plummet.

face of the water, the pull which the buoy exerted on the cord or cable during its upward ascent no longer prevails, with the result that the parts of the coupling device become disengaged or separated, .thus releasing the weight which then descends by gravity along the mooring cable until it reaches the anchor and actuates the device lior stopping the unwinding of the said cable.

In order that the said invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect the same will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:-

Figure 1 illustrates diagrammatically various positions of the mine after being launched and nally coming to anchor with the flotation chamber at a predetermined depth beneath the surface of the water.

Figs. 2, 3 and 4 illustrate diagrammatically on a larger scale how the spring controlled coupling device is rendered active and the weight released during the ascent of the flotation chamber after the anchor reaches the sea bed.

Fig. 5 isa sectional view on a larger scale showing the mine as a whole. v Fig. 6 is a vertical section of the spring controlled coupling device shown on a still larger scale.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged view of the weightreleasing mechanism forming part of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a vertical section of the buoy or float which controls the spring controlled coupling device.

Fig. 9 is a cross section through the anchor showing the winch-drum of the moo-ring cable and its locking device.

Fig. 10 is an end view of the said locking device in the locked position.

A is the mine body or flotation chamber, D is the' mooring cable and E is part of the mooring cable winch drum. F is short chain which connects the plummet to a spring controlled locking lever G. H is the spring controlled coupling device, I is the sliding weight normally held against a stop J on the mooring cable D. K is the buoy or float which is connected to the coupling device H by a cord or cable L the length of ,which is selected according to the final depth B which lever is actuated by the falling. Vweight I ywhen-the latter is releasedfbytheiV` vcouplingl device H. Y f Y :The stop J is connectedvto the mooring cable D by a screw j, and fit-s overa tubular Y. extension v7l of the sliding weight I; VVtheV detachably secured to the ally movable detents j having chamfered inner ends which normally...

weight being saidV stop by raV i engage within a circumferentialJrecess in .the'extension z', while their outer ends norf mally abut'l'against the interior of a surrounding Ysleeve or cylinder -alformingpart of the aforesaidk coupling device H. The said sleeve or cylinderv tcontainsfa spring z/ which normallytends to force the cylinder into a disengaged position as hereinafter described.` Pivotally'connected at h2 tothe r sleeve'or cylinder h is a bell cran-k levery h3( to one arm of which the cord or cable L is attached, the-other arm carrying-'a split pin l# which passes through the cylinder hv and Y release of lthe float, the plummet C, in? the Iby engaging within slot z" in the weight 'I serves lnormally toV lock the weight rigidly in place, the arrangement being suchv that when` the buoy cord or cable L is rendered taut,Y the split pin will be withdrawn.

Y Prior tothe launching ofthe mine land' dur-` Y ing-its descent, the buoy K, which isin the formfora pair of hollowy cones Yjoinedfat their'bases, occupies an invertedposition on the anchor'as-shown at ZJ' Figo'. 1 and'is adapted to float clear of the' anchor'by'f'its 'buoyancy immediatelyV the mine is launched.V When Ythe `mine is launched and after the f Y example shown, continues to hold the lever y G in engagementl with the toothed rim-Ye oi the; mooring cable drum against" the i influ- :ence-of' the spring 1g vuntil it reaches ythe sea 'bedand its weight is removed from the le- Y ver G. The sprin g thereuponV disengages the lever G and-,re veases the'winch drum E (FigsfQ, 3 'and il). Owing to its V`buoyancyY .the flotation chamber A'separates from the.

anchor and the mooring cable D is'p'aid out. VThe b-uoy K', which has' previously been released and which has separated from l Vthelotation chamber'by its buoyancy has in the Vmeantime VrenderedV Vthe buoy cord lor cable'L taut, lthetension thereon turning the cranked lever h3 I ab out its' rfulc'rurn f and With- Adrawingthedetachable vpin V/Ltvvhich locks il vthefweightjIto the coupling device H.l 'The Y-5-5V Vancy offthc oatrthenimoves relatively to` cylinder under the iniiuenceof .the buoy- ,Y 'the weight-IYthus-further compressing and Venergizing thef-aforesaidspring handdurand anchor andi-the ascent; ofthe float and cord L no longer prevails andthespring h reacts and moves-the-cylinder-Vh downwardly Y' untilY it is clear of' said stopJV The aforesaid detents y" are thereupon free to Vmovey radially outward, thus freeing the .Weight I and allowing it to Vfall by gravity part m which normally bearsv upon or lies immediately abovev a shoulder m2v on an arm m3 which ispivotedv at mi" toy the'anchorV and is normally Yheldout of engagement with the toothedrim-e of the mooring'caxbledrum by a spring detent m6. vWhen the. weight I strikes the leveruM the shockUof-ifmpact forces thefree end ofk the arm m3A into-ven- 1 until itis arrested by striking the lever M. V The lever M is pivotally connected' at m to the-top plate of theaanchor B and carries a gageinent. with` thevtoothedf rim e` of the Y mooring cable drum thus stopping'the` fur- Y Y Y ther paying outs-of 'the .mooring cable and 'thek notationchainberY A remains anchored at the'desired depth-' The'lrateiof the'unwinding ofufthefmoorin 2 cable D mayy befcon-V trolled .in anyl suita le manner', for'example, by theusual-hydraulicb-rake (notshown) so that thebuoy will precede the flotation VVchamber inlth'e ascent of these parts through the water.

i .i Y Y Means mayV bev-provided for. causingthe buoyK to sink after. Vithasfulfilled its function;` such means` may comprise, for" eX- amp'le'fatubek closed; atboth ends and containing a quantityfof mercury k. the'closure atilthe outer end ofv the-tube? being` constitutedzby al plugjk2 composed ot afsubsta-nce` ,which is soluble by f mercury.V tube-'7c Lisformed 'with 4perforar-tionsila#ag atorI about the center adaptedftoi admit water totheiinterior ofi the buoyl through the; .saidf'tubeafter thev plug 7 02 at.. its' outer endl has 'been dissolved by the action of'themercuryV The Asaid perforationg are protected by aY concentric tube 104 of'smaller diam'eterthan the l main-tube c, and located therein, -saidjconcentric tube being joined to the mfaini tubeV toward thel inner end:` thereof" andV left open at the outervr end-so that'the-Imercury willflowover' the surface ofthe innertubeand Ythus be prevented from escaping through the -perforations' when*V the tube is' Yinverted and the-mercury flow-s from oneend of'- the outer tube to theother. Up to the moment Y of l'aiinching'of the mine,' or during Vthe descent of the mine,V as before stated',I the buoy isinverted,V the mercury remaining atr'the L20 inner'4 endothe tube 'la and out of` contact with the-plugin?Y When however, thebuoy ,is released from the anchor and assumesV an uprightposition, the mercury kk" comes into 4 contact with theplug le2- as Vshown at Fig.Y 8, fuponl which-'itac'ts and after a short interval eats through the plug, Y allowing `water `to pass-into the interiorv kofthe buoy through the perforations 7c3-'so as to-'destroy its buoyancy andfcauseit tosinki What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. A submarine mine comprising an anchor connected to the flotation chamber or mine proper by a mooring cable and provided With a Slidable Weight on the mooring cable which is connected to a buoy or float in such a manner that when the pull exerted by the buoy or float after launching the mine no longer prevails the said Weight becomes released and in falling actuates a device in the anchor for stopping the paying out of the mooring cable.

2. A submarine mine comprising an anchor connected tothe flotation chamber or mine proper by a mooring cable and provided with a Slidable Weight on the mooring cable connected to a buoy or float by a cord Whose length depends on the depth to Which the notation chamber is to be finally immersed, the connection of the said cord to the slidable Weight being through the intermediary of a device which is of Such a character that the Weight will only be released to stop the paying out of the mooring cable from the anchor When the pull on the cord by the buoy or float after launching the mine no longer prevails.

3. A submarine mine provided With a buoy or float connected by means of a cord to a slidable weight on the mooring cable through the intermediary of a spring controlled coupling device the spring of Which will become energized under the pull exerted by the buoy or float after launching the mine and Will react to release the coupling device when the pull on the said cord no longer prevails.

4. A submarine mine provided with a buoy or float connected by means of a cord to a slidable weight on the mooring cable through the intermediary of a coupling device Which is provided with means underithe controlof the said cord for preventing the device becoming prematurely released.

5. A submarine mine provided with a buoy or float connected by means of a cord to a slidable weight on the mooring cable through the intermediary of a detachable coupling device, the said buoy or float being of hollow formation and being adapted to control the final depth of immersion of the flotation chamber'or mine proper and having means for admitting water to said buoy or float for the purpose of sinking it after the buoy or ioat has fulfilled its function.

In testimony whereof I atix my signature.

GIOVANNI EMANUELE ELIA.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Iatents, Washington, D. G. 

